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Diplomacy at its worst

Sir, — The recent expulsions of Indian and Pakistani diplomats come at a time when we should have been more successful in our diplomatic activities to normalise bilateral ties. It is not that our relationship with Pakistan alone is strained; there are problems with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China among others.

Often we demand that the international community isolate Pakistan as a terrorist state. Such an isolation will add fuel to the fire. We often provoke our neighbours without any reasons. The beneficiaries are the arms dealers and money launderers.

V.S. Venkatavaradan,
Salem, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — The continuing stand-off between India and Pakistan has all the makings of a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera but with an unpredictable ending.

While the naiveté of the Pakistani diplomat in involving himself directly in such a sensitive matter looks odd, we will be equally naive in believing that the conduct and behaviour of Indian diplomats in Islamabad has always been pure. This kind of activity goes on all the time in the diplomatic missions throughout the world but hardly has any country ever resorted to expulsions on this scale.

Even during the most acrimonious periods of the cold war, the U.S. and the USSR did not go about expelling diplomats as regularly and systematically as India and Pakistan have been doing over the years.

Kangayam R. Rangaswamy,
Madison, U.S.

* * *

Sir, — If India wants Pakistan to respect its sovereignty and democracy, it should snap all business and diplomatic ties with it; declare it a terrorist state with a follow-up action of placing concrete evidence of all objectionable activities that are being allowed on its soil; take actions to isolate Pakistan at the SAARC and the U.N.

We should shed the soft-state approach at the world level and greet everyone with firmer handshakes.

Anil Thomas,
Chennai

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Stories in this Section

• Undermining the rule of law
• Beyond statistics
• India, Pakistan and the U.N.
• Against the politics of terror
• Diplomacy at its worst
• Volatile stand
• Flimsy proof?
• Not a revelation

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